 “Freeze Identity Thieves†initiative to remind Hoosiers about ID theft,Â
AG Zoeller: Risk of fraud high during holiday shopping season
 INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Every two seconds someone in America has their identity stolen. According to a Javelin Strategy & Research study, about $15 billion was stolen from 13.1 million U.S. consumers in 2015.
 To combat this growing criminal industry that destroys the good names and credit ratings of innocent people, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller launched the “Freeze Identity Thieves†statewide public awareness effort again this year aimed at arming Hoosiers with a simple, effective ID theft prevention tool:  the credit freeze. Zoeller is urging Hoosiers to sign up for a credit freeze to guard against fraud this holiday shopping season, when cybercrime is common.
“The way we secure our finances must change in the digital age to respond to growing threats of identity theft and cyber hacks that jeopardize our credit and financial stability,†Zoeller said. “We are naïve if we think our information is not already exposed, ripe for theft. Thankfully there is a free tool to protect credit and stop identity thieves in their tracks: the credit freeze.â€
The free credit freeze prevents any new lines of credit from being opened in someone’s name unless that person lifts the freeze himself or herself. This effectively stops identity thieves from using any stolen information, for example a Social Security Number, to access and rack up peoples’ credit.
The credit freeze can be initiated within minutes online with each of the three credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Experian and Equifax – at the Attorney General’s website www.IndianaConsumer.com/idtheft. Once a freeze is initiated, the consumer can temporarily lift it at any time if they would like to apply for new credit or a loan.
The AG’s new “Freeze Identity Thieves†public awareness ads feature identity thieves getting “frozen†before they can commit identity theft against someone who has a credit freeze in place. The statewide initiative consists of television, radio, print and digital spots.
More than 500 data breaches exposing the personal and financial information of Indiana residents were reported to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office this year, and approximately 818 identity theft complaints were filed. The Federal Trade Commission also received 490,220 identity theft complaints last year, which was nearly a 50 percent increase over the previous year.
Zoeller said the credit freeze is the best protection against fraud and identity theft, and is superior to credit monitoring services that detect rather than prevent fraud.
Zoeller urged consumers to be vigilant by following these additional fraud prevention tips, especially during the holiday shopping season:
·         Closely monitor financial statements for any unusual activity.
·         Review and monitor credit reports to check for inaccuracies. A free credit report can be requested from each of the credit bureaus once a year through www.AnnualCreditReport.com.
·         Opt out of pre-screened credit offers at OptOutPrescreen.com.
·         Shred credit card applications or offers received in the mail.
·         Use strong passwords on all online accounts, particularly bank or credit card accounts, and change passwords frequently.
·         Never do business online unless the website is secure.  A secure connection will have an “s” after the “http” web address and an icon of a “closed lock.”
·         Never give out financial or personal information over the phone unless you initiated the   contact.
 If unusual activity is detected and someone believes they are a victim of identity theft, they should follow the below steps:
- Report fraud to the police and file a complaint with the AG’s Office at www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 800-382-5516.
- Place fraud alerts on credits reports by contacting one of the three credit agencies: TransUnion, Experian or Equifax.
- File a petition in court asking the judge to issue a court order declaring the person a victim of identity theft. That order can be used as legal grounds to clear up fraudulent activity.
Under Indiana’s Disclosure of Security Breach law, businesses with Indiana customers are required to inform customers and the AG’s Office about security breaches that have placed personal information in jeopardy. The AG’s Office investigates data breaches to determine if customers were properly notified of the breach and if the entity had appropriate safeguards in place to protect customers’ data.
More information on preventing identity theft or restoring credit once theft has occurred can be found at   www.IndianaConsumer.com/idtheft.
The “Freeze Identity Thieves†video spot as well as other creative materials can also be found at www.IndianaConsumer.com/idtheft.
The “Freeze Identity Thieves†campaign is being paid for exclusively with settlement funds received by the Attorney General’s Office for violations of Indiana’s consumer protection laws and required by the court to be used in consumer education.
